This invention relates to a traffic control system for use in carrying out traffic control and, in particular to an air traffic control system for controlling air traffic of an aircraft. It is to be noted throughout the instant specification that the following description will be mainly made about the air traffic control system but this invention may not be restricted to the air traffic control system but any other traffic control system for controlling a mobile body, such as vehicle or ship.
In general, a conventional air traffic control system of the described has a display portion which is fixed to a housing or on a console and which is used for displaying air traffic control information. An air traffic controller carries out air traffic control or the like on the basis of air traffic control information displayed on the display portion. In this event, the air traffic control information is displayed on a screen of the display portion which is directed to a predetermined direction on the display portion, regardless of a position of the air traffic control controller. As a result, the air traffic controller can watch or accurately observe an image of the air traffic control information in front of the screen, as long as the air traffic controller watches the screen at a predetermined front position.
However, it is to be noted that the air traffic controller must be often moved to any other air traffic control information. In this event, the air traffic controller watches or views an image of the air traffic control information from an oblique or inclined direction, because the air traffic controller can not watch the screen from the predetermined front position.
For example, the air traffic controller may not only always sit down a chair but also may stand up from the chair. When the air traffic controller stands up from the chair, the display portion is looked at from an oblique direction different from the predetermined direction. Such an observation from an oblique position or a direction different from the predetermined direction undesirably distorts or deforms an image displayed on the display portion. The distorted image might make it difficult to accurately navigate or control aircraft or airplanes.
In other words, the conventional air traffic control system is disadvantageous in that visibility becomes bad when the air traffic control information is observed from a position remote from the predetermined position.
In addition, the display portion and a switching board for switching displays from one to another are fixed to the predetermined position in the conventional air traffic control system, as mentioned before. Therefore, the switching board should be manually switched on switching the displayed images from one to another after the air traffic controller moves to the switching board. Accordingly, the conventional system is low in workability.
It is an object of this invention to provide an image control system which is applicable to an air traffic control system and which can avoid distortion of an image even when the image is watched from an inclined position different from a front position of a screen of a display portion.
It is another object of this invention to provide a traffic control system which is capable of always giving appropriate information to an air traffic controller regardless of his or her position and to thereby reduce a load of the air traffic controller.
It is another object of this invention to provide an air traffic control system of the type described, which is excellent in visibility of a display portion.
It is still another object of this invention to provide an air traffic control system which can realize safe traffic control.
An air traffic control system to which this invention is applicable is for use in providing air traffic control information to an air traffic controller so as to control traffic of an aircraft. According to an aspect of this invention, the air traffic control system comprises a position detection sensor for detecting a position of the air traffic controller to obtain position information representative of the position of the air traffic controller and means for selectively displaying the air traffic control information in a predetermined order in accordance with the position information.
According to a specific aspect of this invention, the air traffic control system comprises a position detection sensor for detecting a position of the air traffic controller to obtain position information representative of the edition of the air traffic controller, a display renewal judgement portion fur judging whether or not display is to be renewed with reference to the position information to obtain and to produce judgement information representative of the result of judgement by analyzing a movement amount of the air traffic controller on the basis of the position information, an air traffic control information management portion for receiving air traffic control information from an outside system to obtain a latest management state and to produce latest air traffic control information representative of the latest management state, a display data generator, coupled to the display renewal judgement portion and the air traffic control information management portion, for generating display data on the basis of the judgment information and the latest air traffic control information sent from the air traffic control information management portion, and a display portion for displaying the display data. The latest air traffic control information is thus displayed as the display data on the display portion in accordance with the position of the air traffic controller determined by the judgement information
According to another aspect of this invention, an image control system is for visually displaying an image on a display screen of a display portion which is watched by a viewer from both a front position of the display portion and a plurality of angle positions inclined from the front position. The image control system comprises a position detection sensor for detecting a position of the viewer in relation to the display screen to obtain position information representative of the position of the viewer and image modifying means, responsive to the position information, for modifying the image on the basis of the position information into a modified image when the display screen is watched by the viewer from the angle positions.
In this event, the image modifying means comprises storage means for successively storing, as the image, a reference image seen from the front position and producing means for producing the modified image identical with the reference image even when the display screen is watched by the viewer from the angle positions.
Herein, the image on the display screen may be watched as a plurality of reduced viewing area images from the angle positions in comparison with that watched from the front position. In this case, the image modifying means comprises storage means for storing the reduced viewing area images, selecting means for successively selecting the reduced viewing area images on the basis of the position information as a selected viewing area image, and means for producing the selected viewing area image as the modified image.
Furthermore, the image on the display screen may be varied from one image to another image when the viewer is moved. In this case, the image modifying means comprises storage means for storing one image and another image, detecting means, responsive to the position information, for detecting the position of the viewer to select either one of the one image and another image as a selected image, and producing means for producing the selected image as the modified image.